Thousands honor ‘68 walkouts by Mexican American students: A year after the walkouts, UCLA’s enrollment of Mexican American students soared from 100 to 1,900. Over the following decade, college enrollment increased from 2% to 25% nationwide. Read More.
Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
Housing Now: Renters Priced Out of Los Angeles
March 10, 2008With over 60% of Los Angeles comprised of renters, compared to the national average of 32%, the search for affordable housing is integral to the economic and social survival of millions of Angelenos. Amidst the gentrification efforts that are abundant in almost every major barrio in the city, the working class is challenged to claim a unit in the new lofts downtown, mixed use housing in Koreatown, and slums in mid-city. LA Times online columnist David Lazarus documents the struggle for affordable housing here.
The Trials and Tribulations of LAFD
March 5, 2008March 4, 2008: It has just been announced that two white LAFD captains suspended after a black firefighter reported his meal had been laced with dog food receive $1.6 million. One of the costliest racial harassment cases in the history of the Los Angeles City Fire Department grew more expensive Monday when a jury awarded $1.6 million to two white captains suspended after a black firefighter they supervised had his meal laced with dog food.
Capts. John Tohill and Chris Burton sued the city in October 2006, alleging that they were made scapegoats for the misconduct of a Latino firefighter who placed dog food in the spaghetti dinner of firefighter Tennie Pierce four years ago.
A Legacy of Scandal and Discrimination: In the last two years, the 3,900-member department — considered among the nation’s best — has been rocked by allegations of unchecked racism, discrimination and harassment that have cost taxpayers more than $13 million in legal payouts, not including Monday’s verdict. Among the payouts was a $6.2-million jury award last summer to Brenda Lee, who alleged that she was harassed off the force because she is black and a lesbian.
The city is in settlement negotiations with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which last year found that a “pattern and practice . . . exists for a class of female and black firefighters based on gender and race.”
CA Budget and CSU Long Beach
March 5, 2008California State University Long Beach’s Office of the President F. King Alexander sent out a great advocacy call for action to the school’s alumnae this week. Some of the letter’s highlights include:
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As an alumnus of California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), it is important for you to know our concerns regarding the current State Budget proposed by Governor Schwarzenegger.
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This draconian budget proposal will ultimately hurt California’s future economic growth by failing to fund increased student access to college while also limiting the availability of many courses to existing students.
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The unfortunate irony of this budget proposal is that it is occurring at a time when California has never needed more college and university graduates.
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In fact, according to a recent report, Californians and Higher Education, 9 out of 10 residents from all political, regional, and demographic groups say that California’s higher education system will be very important to the quality of life and economic vitality of the state over the next 20 years.
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Despite this fact, however, the proposed Governor’s budget will have a $312.9 million detrimental impact on 2008/09 for Cal State Long Beach and the other 22 California State University (CSU) campuses.
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The CSU are vital providers of high quality graduates into the state’s workforce and the budget cuts will have an impact on many key industries in California.
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CSU graduates nearly 90,000 students into the state’s workforce each year.
CSU supplies the majority of California’s workforce in key industries including nursing, teaching, agriculture, business, public administration and technology.
Nursing – 64%
Business – 65%
Agriculture – 52%
Life sciences – 44%
Education – 87%
Public Administration – 82%
Criminal Justice – 89%
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For every dollar the state invests in the CSU, $4.41 is generated in economic activity throughout California.
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This year the CSU has asked for revenues to increase enrollment by 2.5 percent or 10,000 students for 2008/09.
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Two-thirds of the current pipeline of students in K-12 are from underrepresented backgrounds, and it is critical to the state’s future that more students from underserved communities attend and complete college.
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CUS’s largest growth has been among first-time freshman Hispanic (9.5 percent) and Native American students (8.2 percent). African American student enrollment is up by 6.5 percent.
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Please let your California State Assemblymember and State Senator know that you support CSULB and the CSU. Let your representative know that the proposed 10 percent cut will undermine California’s economy and thousands of students who excelled in school in good faith would be denied admission if the proposed cut is not rescinded.
Clinton Wins the Lone Star State
March 5, 2008
I still have not figured out a concrete analysis of Latino voting patterns in this election. I recognize that Obama’s presence in California was insufficient to capture the state on February 5th, but with the grassroots momentum his team has been able to acquire over the course of the past two months, I do not understand the March 4th primaries. The biggest states go to Clinton, while small states have been pointing to Obama. Moreover, this trend of Latinos voting for Clinton has consistently rang true. Could it be the Anne Richardson connection, the moderate Pro-Bush stance, the notion of experience over change… who knows-but I will figure it out and spell it out soon enough.
Kerner Commission Report released 2/29/1968
March 5, 2008Another key impetus for this blog was the civil disobedience of 1992 and its predecessors-the civil rebellions of the 1960’s throughout the U.S. More coverage on the 1992 acts of rebellion to come as the sixteenth anniversary approaches. However, it is important to note the culmination of these actions as a rembrandt of the economic, political, and social landscapes that characterized the disenfranchisement and destitute state of many U.S. residents in major cities. On that note, I found this commentary from RaceWire about the infamous Kerner Report:
The Kerner Report was released on February 29, 1968, and this report was commissioned by Lyndon B. Johnson who formed a committee to research race relations after a deadly series of summer race riots all over the country.
Angering Lyndon B. Johnson, the report found in 1968 that:
“Our nation is moving toward two societies, one black, one white — separate and unequal. What white Americans have never fully understood — but what the Negro can never forget — is that white society is deeply implicated in the ghetto. White institutions created it, white institutions maintain it, and white society condones it.”
But the report said that the country wasn’t doomed and that solutions existed.
